


Right where we are

by steveandbucky



Series: Ace!Bucky Verse [1]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Online Dating, Asexual Bucky, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Cuddling & Snuggling, Disney Movies, Dogs, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Insecure Steve Rogers, Loneliness, M/M, Meet-Cute, POV Steve Rogers, POV Third Person, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Steve Has Issues, Steve Needs a Hug, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-25 08:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4953772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steveandbucky/pseuds/steveandbucky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers doesn't expect to meet someone when he signs up on a dating website after being persuaded by his mother, especially not someone like Bucky Barnes, who messages him to gush about his dogs, makes him laugh, sparks a little hope in him, and step by step slots himself perfectly in the empty spaces of Steve's life. </p><p>(In which there's a pair of dogs, chance encounters, first and second kisses, Disney movies, lots of cuddling, and two idiots who fall in love.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so this fic was originally a 'online dating meet cute au' idea i had but i kinda accidentally became inspired by [this text post!](http://steveandbucky.tumblr.com/post/130486787074) so what started out as a short ficlet kinda spun out of control and became a multichapter fic, oops.
> 
> major thanks to [sassgardianlass](http://sassgardianlass.tumblr.com) and [chrisevansleftboob](http://chrisevansleftboob.tumblr.com/) for helping me out by beta reading! all mistakes are my own.
> 
> as always, kudos & comments are greatly appreciated! :)

 

“I’m not lonely, Ma,” Steve lies.

On the other end of the line, Sarah sighs, and her voice softens when she speaks again. “I just think it would do you good to meet new people, go on some dates. I want you to be happy, Steve.”

Steve frowns at the hurried sketch of a local bookstore’s banner on his tablet. He is happy, he thinks. He’s got his job as a freelance graphic designer, his friends, his dogs, and everything in his life is going perfectly well, thank you very much.

Except.

_Except_.

Sarah speaks up again before Steve has a chance to say what’s on his mind. “I’m not going to argue with you, honey. All I’m saying is think about it, give it a chance. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Steve sighs as he rubs a hand over his face. “I’ll think about it, Mom.”

“Good,” Sarah says, smile evident in her voice. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

He nods before remembering he’s made plans. “Oh no, I can’t Sunday, I’m having lunch with Peggy.”

“Oh, Peggy! I’m so glad you two kept in touch after-”

“Mom,” Steve interrupts, pinching the bridge of his nose because he knows exactly where the conversation is going.

“I do still hope you two would sort things out and get back together-”

“Mom, I keep telling you, that was years ago. Plus, Peggy has a girlfriend now.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Sarah pauses for a long moment. “Well, anyway, say hi to her from me, will you? And come around Saturday if you can.”

Steve says he will, tells her he loves her, and hangs up the phone. He stares at the newly opened tab in his laptop’s browser, studying the website’s homepage which is proclaiming in big red letters, _“Let us help you find your soulmate.”_

He snorts in derision; even if he believed in soulmates, he wouldn’t expect to find one on a website called matchmadeinheaven.com, which is the one his mother recommended to him. Maybe he is a bit of a hopeless romantic – Peggy’s words, not his – but the thought of people looking at his profile, scrutinising his picture, reading his description, and then deciding whether he was worth messaging? Or worse, himself going through other’s profiles and having to message people? Steve thinks there’s no room for romance anywhere in there; he couldn’t imagine a worse way to meet someone, and maybe that makes him a bit of a drama queen – again, Peggy’s words.

_Only doing this for you, Ma,_ Steve thinks as he clicks the ‘sign up’ link and fills out his contact information. Once he’s verified his email address and is prompted to set up his profile, Steve uploads the same picture he has on his Facebook profile. It’s one of his favourite pictures of himself, one that Sam took last year of Steve smiling and holding his two Labrador puppies. Then he fills out his basic information like age, occupation, romantic and sexual orientation, and closes the tab, deciding to get back to work.

Steve doesn’t check the website again until after dinner, browsing it casually as he lounges on his couch while also keeping an eye on the TV which is playing old reruns of _Community_. He goes through a list of seemingly random people, not really looking at anyone’s profile, since he hasn’t fully completed his own profile and can’t access his list of compatible matches. The thought of a website finding him a compatible partner is ridiculous to him; as if answering random questions and listing his favourite books means he’ll find someone he loves and cares about, someone who’s kind and understanding and who he gets along with.

He gives up after a while and gets to his feet, letting out a sharp whistle as he walks to the front door and picks up the leashes. Almost immediately, two large Labradors appear at his side, one with golden and the other with chocolate brown fur.

“Who wants to go for a walk?” Steve asks as he fastens the leash on the dogs’ collars, as they start panting excitedly at the mention of the word ‘walk’. As soon as he straightens up, they both put up their paws, scratching at Steve’s legs, which is their way of requesting cuddles.

“Awww,” Steve smiles wide. It’s moments like these he feels grateful to have the company of his dogs. He kneels down and wraps an arm around each dog, and they hug back by placing their front legs over Steve’s shoulders. “At least you guys love me.”

Steve tries to use the fresh air to keep his mind off the stupid website as he walks around his neighbourhood with Lilo and Stitch. It only works until he comes home and heads to his bedroom, trying and failing to ignore the twinge in his chest as he falls asleep on his own.

 

 

~~

 

 

Steve wakes up on Sunday morning to find that there are three new messages in his inbox on the dating website, which make him groan in annoyance.

With his bright blue eyes, golden hair and sharp cheekbones, and the perfectly sculpted, muscular body to go along with it, Steve is perfectly aware that people find him attractive. He knows he wouldn’t have trouble finding dates and he knows he shouldn’t be complaining when people are very obviously checking him out at the gym, the coffee shop, even the goddamn supermarket. In reality, though, Steve has become truly sick of being ogled at and treated like all there is to him is his physical appearance.

Steve remembers always having been insecure about his looks when he was an awkwardly short and scrawny teenager, who was often made fun of for his bony arms and chicken legs. Of course back then no one turned to look at skinny little Steve twice, at least not until he hit an unexpected growth spurt towards the end of high school, started working out and getting bigger. Suddenly girls were all over him, and Steve became a lot more confident and started going out more, enjoying the attention he got from everyone and feeling a hell of a lot better about himself. He went on dates with girls and boys who didn’t seem to stick around for long, and even did the casual hooking-up thing during college. Pretty soon, though, Steve came to realise that people were only interested in sleeping with him without even getting to know him first, and a different kind of insecurity took over him.

At some point after graduating college he had ended up dating his best friend, Peggy, who he’d met in first year. That relationship hadn’t lasted long either, as they came to realise they were better off as friends than lovers. It had been painful at first, because he’d become used to sharing a bed with someone, going to the theatre together, and spending Sunday mornings making breakfast for someone he loved so dearly. Now, no matter how many times his mother wished they’d get back together, Steve was firm in his belief that they really are better off as friends.

 

 

~~

 

 

“So what’s new, Rogers? Catch me up.” Peggy says as she tucks her brown curls behind her ear and picks up her Monte Cristo sandwich.

It’s Sunday noon, which means they’re having their monthly get-together to have lunch at the Sunset Bistro, which they mostly use as an opportunity to catch up and occasionally gossip about their other friends.

Steve shrugs, poking at a cherry tomato in his chicken salad. “Nothing’s new. Been busy with work.”

“As always,” Peggy rolls her eyes. “Any fun new clients?”

“Oh, lots,” Steve snorts sarcastically. “I wanted to put my first through my laptop the other day.”

“That’s not _news_.” She teases, and it makes Steve laugh.

“Some asshole tried to get out of paying because he didn’t like the design I made. Guess why?” he says, leaning forward in his seat. “Because I used a pale fuchsia font. He called it ‘pink’ and said it was too ‘gay’ and wanted a new one.”

Peggy covers her mouth as she laughs. “I can’t tell if you’re more offended that he called it pink or gay.”

Steve laughs again, the sound flowing out of him naturally, as is always the case when he’s hanging out with Peggy. “I changed the colours which took me all but five minutes and charged him extra for the changes, so to hell with that jerk.”

The brunette laughs again. After a brief lull in the conversation, she asks, “Do anything else on your laptop lately? Anything fun?”

“You talked to my mom, didn’t you?”

Peggy shrugs. “I ran into her in the store the other day.”

Steve crosses his arms across his chest, his salad all but forgotten as he tries to glare at her, even though it doesn’t come across as menacing. “And she just happened to mention that she’s been bugging me to start dating again, or...?”

“It came up,” Peggy smirks. “Now stop being a baby, will you? Did you sign up?”

“I did,”

“Find anyone interesting yet?”

Steve shakes his head, and picks up his fork again. “Not yet,” he says, before stabbing a piece of chicken and shoving it in his mouth.

Peggy’s expression softens then, her smirk melting away into a more sympathetic smile. “You know it would make me really happy to see you happy again, Steve,” she says as she reaches across the table to cover his hand with hers. “You deserve to meet someone as amazing as you are.”

“I’m fine, Pegs,” Steve breathes out. “Don’t worry about me, okay?”

Peggy nods as she draws her hand away and picks up her soda. “You know Angie would probably say she has a second cousin or a high school friend who met their spouse on a dating website and talk you into taking it more seriously.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve rolls his eyes teasingly. “Let’s see if it’ll get me one decent date and then we’ll talk about finding me a spouse.”

“Speaking of spouses,” Peggy says with a smug grin. “Guess who’s planning on proposing to their better half.”

“Sam?” Steve grins.

“How do _you_ know that?!”

“He told me! He’s my best friend, remember?”

Peggy gasps, clutching at her heart melodramatically. “I thought _I_ was your best friend, you traitor!” she says, trying not to laugh when Steve bursts out in giggles, completely forgetting about their earlier topic of conversation.

 

~~

 

When he gets home, Steve opens his laptop and goes to his inbox at matchmadeinheaven.com. He doesn’t know what he’s expecting, but he’s nervous as he clicks on each message. The first one is from a young woman with short curly hair called Melanie who wants to see if Steve is interested in meeting up, and the second is a simple ‘hi :)’ from a guy named Jake who looks ten years his junior. Steve types out a polite reply, turning them down. The third one, however, does pique his interest.

 

> _From: James Barnes_
> 
> _Date: 28 September 2015 at 20:32_
> 
> _Hey sorry to bother you I just wanted to let you know I was scrolling through the profiles and I saw your picture and your dogs are so cute! They’re really adorable! :)_

Steve finds himself smiling as he reads the message, which okay, it’s an odd thing to be messaging someone about on a dating website of all places, but it’s a cute message, he thinks.

 

> _From: Steve Rogers_
> 
> _Date: 30 September 2015 at 14:34_
> 
> _Hi James,_
> 
> _You’re not bothering me at all, your message made me smile. And it certainly made my dogs very happy, they asked me to thank you for the compliments._
> 
> _-Steve_

 

Steve doesn’t expect another message from James, so he gets his tablet and settles at his desk in the living room. He's ready to start working on a new project when he hears a ‘ping’ and goes to check his inbox again.

 

> _From: James Barnes_
> 
> _Date: 30 September 2015 at 15:02_
> 
> _Hi Steve,_
> 
> _Please call me Bucky, I only go by James at work._
> 
> _I’m glad I made your dogs happy – mind if I ask what their names are?_
> 
> _-Bucky_

 

> _From: Steve Rogers_
> 
> _Date: 30 September 2015 at 15:05_
> 
> _Don’t laugh, ok? The brown one is Lilo and the yellow one is Stitch. It seemed like a good idea when they were puppies…_
> 
> _-Steve_
> 
> _PS. How do you get Bucky from James? :p_

> _From: James Barnes_
> 
> _Date: 30 September 2015 at 15:08_
> 
> _That makes them even cuter! I love Lilo & Stich. Very creative dog-naming skills you got there. Are they all grown up now??_
> 
> _-Bucky_
> 
> _PS. My middle name is Buchanan and my sister called me Bucky when I was a kid and it kinda...stuck. :p_

  
 

Steve laughs as he reads the conversation. Is he seriously talking about his dogs with the first person that happened to message him on a dating website he didn’t even want to sign up to? Curiousity gets the better of him, and he clicks on James’ – Bucky’s – profile.

Bucky is… attractive, to say the least. In the picture, he’s dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie, and is smiling at the camera, with his blue-grey eyes crinkling at the corners while his brown hair is styled and parted to the right. Intrigued, Steve spends a few minutes looking through Bucky’s profile, and learns that Bucky is 27 years old, works as an administrator at a big recruitment agency, and that his favourite movie is the _Star Wars_ trilogy. Intrigued, he goes back to his inbox to reply to the message.

 

> _From: Steve Rogers_
> 
> _Date: 30 September 2015 at 15:15_
> 
> _Yeah that picture was taken about a year ago, so they’re much bigger now. And thank you for not making fun of my dog-naming skills like my friends did. (As if their suggestions were any better)_
> 
> _-Steve_
> 
> _PS. Nice to meet you Bucky :)_

 

> _From: James Barnes_
> 
> _Date: 30 September 2015 at 15:18_
> 
> _Nothing beats Lilo and Stitch. Lady and the Tramp maybe. Or Sylvester and Tweety. I realize this sounds like I’m talking about cartoons instead of paired dog names... :p_
> 
> _-Bucky_
> 
> _PS. Nice to meet you too, Steve :)_

The conversation strays from there and they start talking about their favourite animated movies and series and by night time, they exchange phone numbers and start texting back and forth instead of messaging each other on the website. When he’s about to say goodnight to Bucky, Steve gets talked into sending a picture of Lilo while she’s snuggled up next to Steve on his bed. Bucky’s delighted to receive the picture and sends back a selfie of him grinning and giving him a thumbs up, and God, that smile is just enough to make Steve’s entire _week._

Steve lies in bed for a long time, awake and staring at the ceiling with a faint smile playing on his lips. He’s starting to realise that he has actually met someone he’s really starting to like, all thanks to that stupid dating website, and he can’t help but feel hopeful about this could turn into something more.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

  
 

Steve hasn’t managed to work up the courage to ask the question that’s been on his mind for the last few days. He and Bucky have been texting each other almost daily for a couple of weeks, and the conversation always flows so easily between them, like they’re old friends who have been reacquainted after being apart. They talk about life and work and everything in between, sharing jokes and teasing each other in friendly banter that Steve thinks sometimes turns flirty, but he’s not really sure. Bucky hasn’t suggested meeting up, and Steve isn’t sure if that’s something Bucky would like, so he hasn’t asked. He’s not even sure if they’d go out as friends, or on an actual date.

Stitch appears in the bedroom and jumps on the bed, snapping Steve out of his thoughts. He puts his phone down then, a little embarrassed that he’d been caught going through the selfies Bucky has sent him – as if his dog would be judging him.

“Food time?” Steve asks, stroking Stitch’s head and scratching behind his ears. Stitch responds by giving him a few licks across his face and Steve scrunches up his face. “Okay, okay, I’ll feed you, stop it.” He says as he gets out of bed and starts walking towards the kitchen find Lilo already waiting by their food bowls, happily wagging her tail as she waits to be fed.

Afterwards, Steve pours himself a cup of coffee and grabs a couple of cookies from the jar before he goes to his desk, not even bothering to change out of his comfy pyjamas – the wonders of working from home. He’s busy staring at part of a half-finished poster for a elementary school, the first of many they have hired him to do, when his phone beeps, alerting him of a new text message.

Steve smiles as he walks to his bedroom to grab his phone and check the message, knowing already who the text is from.

_BUCKY: I’m literally sitting here listening to a woman give a presentation about fonts…_

_BUCKY: Please come save me!! :(_

_STEVE: Fonts? How important can those be? :p_

_BUCKY: Very, apparently. I’m at a dumb ‘business seminar’ ugh :(_

_STEVE: I was kidding. Do you not remember what I do for a living? Fonts actually matter more than you think_

_BUCKY: If there was a rolling-my-eyes-at-you emoji I’d send it right now…_

_STEVE: What can I say, I’m a fonts guy_

_BUCKY: You’re a nerd is what you are_

_STEVE: And proud :)_

Bucky doesn’t reply after that, and Steve tries to focus on his poster, except he’s restlessly tapping his pen against the tablet and jiggling his foot, so he picks up his phone and decides to ask the damn question and get it over with.

_STEVE: I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable but I was wondering if you’d like to meet up sometime. You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to though…_

Steve spends ten excruciatingly-long minutes in a mild panic, checking his phone every 2 seconds, until Bucky finally replies and Steve breathes out a big sigh of relief when he reads the text.

_BUCKY: Yeah I’d like that :)_

_BUCKY: I was gonna ask you if you wanted to go see The Martian but I wasn’t sure if you’d want to meet up so I’m glad you asked._

Steve grins and shakes his head, wondering for how long Bucky had been wanting to say that, since they’d both been hesitating, as it seems. He hurries to text back and they make arrangements to go to the 4:45pm showing on Saturday at the cinema downtown. It’s not until much later when he gets a new text from Bucky that says, _“Not to make things awkward but can we go as friends?”_

Steve’s heart sinks as he reads the text. It suddenly hits him that he hasn’t felt like this about anyone for a long time, and he’d been wrong to get his hopes up about Bucky. He decides not to let his disappointment as he replies.

_STEVE: Yeah, sure :)_

_BUCKY: :)_

 

 

~~

 

“Heey look who it is!” Sam claps him on the shoulder when Steve arrives at the table.

Steve smiles as he says his hellos to the group, which on that night consists of Peggy, Angie, Sam and Clint, who all greet him back excitedly.

“Long time no see, Stevie!” Clint exclaims again, voice loud even though he’s leaning in close to be heard above the music. “You’ve been missing out. Last Saturday I beat everyone at darts.” He beams proudly.

“Well, that’s nothing new.” Steve retorts humorously. “I’m gonna go get a drink,” he says as he heads to the bar to order a beer.

The bar hasn’t been open for very long but is already rather popular, and a little too crowded on Friday nights for Steve’s liking, but that’s usually when all his friends get together and have a few drinks, play darts or pool and sometimes get so drunk they start dancing on the tables (though the last one is mostly specific to Clint). Steve taps his fingers on the bar as he waits to be served, when suddenly he catches someone’s eye from the other end of the counter, and he momentarily forgets to breathe when the man recognises him and gives him a smile.

Heart racing in his chest, Steve waits until Bucky makes his way through the crowd towards him.

“Hi,” Bucky smiles again, wider this time and the effect it has on Steve is embarrassing, since he can barely get out a greeting in response.

Bucky looks ten times better in person. His now longer hair parted in the middle, and he has a two-day-old stubble, looking gorgeous in a navy blue shirt and dark form-fitting jeans.

“Fancy running into you here,” he says as he leans closer to be heard above the music.

Steve gets a waft of cologne, a sharp and somewhat sweet scent that draws him in as he briefly leans in to speak close to Bucky’s ear. “I’m just here with some friends, I swear I’m not stalking you.”

Bucky laughs heartily, ducking his head and crinkling his nose as he does. It’s the cutest thing Steve’s ever seen, and fuck if he wouldn’t spend every minute of every day trying to get Bucky to laugh like that again.

“Didn’t think you were stalking me. But what a coincidence, huh?” Bucky says, still grinning. “Nice to finally meet you, Steve Rogers.”

Steve shakes the hand he’s being offered, and part of him melts a little. Bucky’s hand is warm and soft, and Steve can’t tear his eyes away from Bucky’s as he shakes the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you too, James Bucky Barnes.” he says, and Bucky laughs again, softer this time.

Bucky glances behind him for a moment and sighs. “I’ve kinda left my sister alone back there, she’s waving at me to go back.” he says after a moment, sounding a little disappointed. “We’re still on for tomorrow?”             

Steve nods. “Yeah, definitely. See you tomorrow.”

Bucky grins and then turns around, giving him a little wave as he walks away.

Steve sighs as he watches him leave. He’s definitely got it bad. When the bartender finally gets him his drink, Steve takes a long sip before he makes his way back to the corner booth where his friends are undoubtedly waiting for him.

“What took you so long?” Peggy asks as she eyes him, a knowing smile curving her red lips.

Steve shrugs nonchalantly. “I ran into a friend.”

“Yeah, we saw you two eye-fucking at the bar,” Clint says then. “Hope you used protection, bro.” he says, making Steve roll his eyes while everyone else laughs.

 

~~

 

After feeding Lilo and Stitch and taking them out for a short walk around the neighbourhood, Steve changes into his comfy sweatpants and collapses on his bed. He sometimes spends Saturday mornings going running with Sam or playing basketball with him and Clint, but neither of them were free and that left Steve alone at home, with no motivation to get up and get some work done at least.

Steve doesn’t like admitting it to anyone, but he does feel lonely from time to time. Of course his friends offer to set him up with someone every so often, and Steve reluctantly agrees every other time, but deep down he knows it won’t end up working out. All he really wants is to meet someone he can get along with, take them to dinner and be able to talk about everything and nothing at all with them, make them laugh, and maybe spend the weekends cuddled up on the couch having _Harry Potter_ marathons. Someone who will like him for who he is, will see past his appearance and want to get to know him. _Someone like Bucky_ , he thinks, and curses his brain for thinking it.

Steve reaches out and grabs his phone, deciding to call Peggy before he starts feeling too sorry for himself. At least he can trust her to knock some sense into his thick skull.

“Hello?” Peggy answers after the third ring.

“Hey, Pegs. Got a minute?”

“For you, always, though you’ve caught me in a bad time, to be honest. I’m at IKEA with Angie, shopping for a new bed. There was um, an incident last night.”

Steve snorts out a laugh. “You broke the bed?!”

“It’s not what it sounds like!” Peggy exclaims defensively. “Angie went to get a glass of water in the middle of the night, came back and sat on the bed and it just fell apart! Gave me half a heart attack, too.”

“Aw, poor you.” Steve grins as he forces himself out of bed. “Ask the employees to recommend one of the sturdier models to avoid future _incidents_.”

“Ha ha,” Peggy mocks. “What did you want to tell me then?”

Steve stills in the middle of the living room. “Oh, um. Remember that friend of mine I run into last night?”

“Bucky, right?”

“Yeah, him.” Steve says, and takes a deep breath before he starts explaining to Peggy how they met and that they’ve been talking and about their plans to meet up for the first time to go to the movies.

Peggy listens while he talks, only interrupting him once or twice to say something to Angie while they continue making their way around the store. “So what did you call to say? Ask for my blessing?” she says when Steve’s done talking.

Steve rolls his eyes. “He made it clear it’s not a date we’re going on. And I don’t know what to do…I like him a lot, Pegs.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know what to do?” Peggy says sarcastically. “You’ve made plans to go to the cinema, so you’ll go to the cinema.”

Steve sighs as he rubs his neck, at a loss for words. She makes it sound so simple.

“Go meet him, see what happens. Tell him that you like him, and ask if he wants to go on a proper date next time. You’re a big boy, Steve. You can handle it if he turns you down, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Peggy.”

“As always, you’re welcome. Now I have to go stop Angie because she’s about to spend her entire life savings on candles. Let me know how it goes, yeah?”

Steve laughs at that. “Will do. Bye.”

He doesn’t tell her about the tiny voice in his head that keeps asking what if Bucky _does_ like him back and they _do_ go on a date and it doesn’t end up working out between them like any other dates he’s been on the last few years.

 

~~

 

Steve arrives at the movie theatre that afternoon to see that Bucky is waiting for him near the snacks counter, having already bought the tickets, so Steve offers to buy the popcorn and drinks. They head inside and grab two seats in the middle of the theatre, glad to have arrived early enough that the theatre isn’t full yet and continue chatting through the initial ads and trailers while they wait for the film to begin.

“Sorry I’m talking your ear off,” Bucky leans in to say just before the movie starts playing. “I’m really excited about this movie.”

“I can tell,” Steve can’t help but smile. “You look like a kid on Christmas.”

Bucky chuckles. “Except space is way cooler and worth getting excited about. I mean, doesn’t it make you wonder? All those planets and galaxies and everything. And don’t even get me started on the possibilities of alien life. It’s mind-boggling stuff, man.”

Steve hums in agreement, and opens his mouth to reply when Bucky shushes him before he gets a chance to say anything because the movie is finally starting to play. Steve looks at him for a long moment and Bucky turns his head and smiles when he catches him staring. Steve tries not to blush and turns to focus on the movie instead.

Two hours later, they stumble out of the theatre after the movie ends, and Bucky is quiet for a total of five minutes, waiting to get away from the crowds before he speaks up.

“So, what do you say, Steve? You wanna go colonise Mars?” he asks, eyes twinkling in excitement. “Or is that too dumb a thing to do?”

“That’s pretty dumb, yeah,” Steve replies with a teasing smirk and earns a slight punch to his shoulder in return. “Did you like the movie?”

“Are you kidding? I’m gonna go pre-order the DVD as soon as I get home.”

Steve laughs. “So are you in a hurry to go home or would you like to go grab a bite first?”

Bucky nods, smiling at him. “I’d like that, yeah.”

They make their way to a nearby diner and make idle conversation while they look through the menu and place their orders. The waiter arrives with their drinks a short while later and Steve picks at the label of his apple cider, trying not to look at Bucky, who is busy sipping on his lemonade and very obviously not taking his eyes off Steve.

“Steve, can I say something?”

Steve looks up, blinking in surprise at how unsure Bucky suddenly sounds, even as his body language is casual. Hesitantly, he nods _yes_ in response.

Bucky chews on his bottom lip for a moment. “I like you.”

Steve lets out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. “You…you like me? Like-like me?”

“Yeah,” Bucky laughs. “I like-like you.”

“I thought you said this isn’t a date.”

“It’s not…” Bucky trails off, and frowns thoughtfully. “I just wanted to meet you in person. Maybe get to know you a bit before asking you out. I’m really bad at relationships… so I was a little cautious about this, I guess.”

Steve lets out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, me too. My dating record is a bit of a disaster – so I understand. Maybe I’m too eager though, ‘cause I was planning on asking you if you wanted to go on a proper date next time we meet up.”

“Really?

“Yeah,” Steve nods. “So if I were to ask, do you think you’d want to go on a date with me?”

“Yeah,” Bucky smiles.

Steve tries to restrain the smile he returns, lest he comes across as a lunatic. “Is tomorrow too soon?”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so minor disclaimer here: i'm not ace and i've never written an asexual character before. all i know about asexuality is stuff i've read on tumblr posts but i also did some extra research on [this blog](http://fuckyeahasexual.tumblr.com) (which i recommend checking out if you're interested cause honestly its better to read people's experiences on this kind of thing than doing a google search). thats kind of how i came up with my personal interpretation/characterization of ace!bucky. i'm really nervous about this part of the story, so i'd love to hear what you guys think of it (and if i've mucked something up please let me know!)

 

 

The next morning, Steve sends Bucky three picture messages of himself and his two dogs while they’re playing in the park. He puts his phone back in his pocket and picks up the yellow tennis ball and tosses it across the green field, laughing as Lilo and Stitch immediately chase after it. Steve looks up at the sky and sighs, enjoying the warmth of the Sunday morning sun on his face when his phone buzzes a minute later, indicating the arrival of a new text message.

_BUCKY: OH NO it’s too early for such cuteness! What are you doing to me Steve!!!_

_BUCKY: What park are you at? Could I come meet you guys?_

Steve texts back directions to the park while simultaneously tossing the ball as far as he can. The two Labs run in the direction of the ball again, racing each other and competing over who gets to bring the ball back to their owner, even though they both get pet after returning regardless who the ‘winner’ is.

After half an hour of tossing the ball, Steve looks up to see Bucky approaching them and momentarily forgets how to breathe. Bucky tends to have that effect on Steve it seems – even when he’s dressed in dark grey sweatpants and a faded denim jacket, looking like he’s just rolled out of bed.

Bucky gasps audibly when he arrives, and crouches down to greet the dogs, who are busy snuffling around his feet. “Oh my God, they’re so adorable,” he gushes, and tries to balance himself when Lilo almost knocks him over. “Hi Lilo, hi Stitch. It’s an honour to meet you finally,” he coos at them while stroking their heads and gets a few excited barks in return.

Steve tells them to quiet down and picks up the ball, tossing it as far as he can without actually getting up from the bench. Bucky takes a seat next to him, grinning from ear to ear. “That was so worth getting out of bed.”

Steve hums. “Should I be slightly offended you seem more excited to see my dogs than me?” he asks, and it makes Bucky laugh.

“No, no,” he says and scoots closer to Steve so that they’re sat shoulder-to-shoulder. “I’m a lot happier to see you, I promise. I’ve just always wanted to get a dog of my own, so…” he trails off.

“Why don’t you get one then?”

“I thought about it, but I work long hours and I wouldn’t want to leave them alone at home, you know?” Bucky shrugs.

“Ah, yeah. The perks of working from home.”

“Your landlord doesn’t mind?” Bucky asks.

“Nah. It’s my friend Clint who owns the whole building and he’s like the biggest dog person ever, so it’s all good.” Steve smiles at him.

He can’t help but stare at Bucky’s lips, mesmerized by the curve of his gorgeously plump, red mouth, and before he can think twice he finds himself asking, “Can I kiss you?”

“Yeah,” Bucky breathes out.

Steve meets his eye then before he leans in, gently takes a hold of Bucky’s chin and brings their mouths together in a small kiss, their lips interlocking for a brief moment before they break apart with a quiet sigh. Bucky smiles when they make eye contact again and then reaches forward, cupping Steve’s cheek in one hand before he kisses him again, soft and slow.

Lilo appears at Steve’s side then, holding the fuzzy tennis ball in her mouth and asking him to throw it again, while Stitch is further away, lying around on the grass field, seemingly tired by the game of fetch. Bucky grabs the ball and throws it before Steve can get to it, and laughs as Lilo starts chasing after it like she’s running for her life.

“Do you wanna grab a cup of coffee?” Bucky asks, turning his head to look at Steve again. “I wanna tell you something.”

Steve’s immediate response is to get worried, because he thinks it can’t be a good thing that Bucky wants to tell him, but he nods in response. “Yeah, okay. There’s an outdoors coffee shop nearby that’s pet friendly, if you don’t mind?”

“Lead the way.” Bucky says as he gets to his feet.

Steve lets out a whistle to call the dogs back to him, reattaches their leash to their collars and picks up his backpack before they start making their way out the park. Bucky asks to walk one of them and Steve nods as he hands over Lilo’s leash and tells him to grip the leash tight and keep Lilo close to him. Once they get there and buy their drinks, Steve chooses a table in the far corner so the dogs can hang around nearby without getting in the way of other customers.

They drink their coffees in a comfortable silence, relaxing in the warm October sun that occasionally peeks out from behind the clouds. The streets are fairly empty and the café isn’t all that busy, and it makes for an enjoyable environment to spend a Sunday morning. Bucky is bent down and giving Stitch belly rubs under the table while Steve watches him coo at the dog with a smile on his face.

The nerves are twisting his stomach in knots, making Steve finally speak up. “So, you wanted to tell me something?”

“Uh, yeah,” Bucky straightens up but doesn’t meet Steve in the eye, instead staring down at his mug and taking a sip of his latte. “I was thinking about some stuff last night after I went home, and I thought it’s probably best I tell you now before I accidentally lead you on or something.”

Steve swallows hard, the nerves in his stomach rising. “Why do you think you would lead me on?”

“Oh, um, I didn’t mean – ah, fuck,” Bucky grimaces. “Guess I better just come out and say it,” he snorts in laughter and Steve frowns, confused as to what’s amusing Bucky.

Bucky takes a deep breath before he speaks again. “I’m not really interested in having sex. Um, not with you, I mean – you know, um, generally.” He bites his lip uncertainly. “I’m asexual.”

Steve blinks in confusion for a moment before he breathes out in relief. “Oh thank fuck,”

“What?” Bucky frowns at him.

“Oh, I just,” Steve says as he rubs a hand across his face. “I was kinda worried you were gonna say you changed your mind about going on that date we talked about.” He chuckles, feeling embarrassed.

“Oh. So…um…” Bucky trails off. “Are you gonna say _you_ changed your mind about that date?”

Steve shakes his head. “No. No way.”

Bucky relaxes visibly, breaking into a grin. “So you’re okay with that? I mean… you know, you’re not disappointed?”

Steve is silent for a moment, making himself think about it. “Can I still kiss you?” he asks, his tone carrying a hint of teasing in it.

“Yeah.”

“Then we’re good.”

Bucky tilt his head to the side, a playful smirk curving his mouth. “So you’re telling me you haven’t thought about it?”

“What, having sex with you?” Steve says, trying to sound casual even as he feels his face heat up. “I mean, I’m not going to lie. I have thought about it, yeah. I guess you haven’t?”

“No, not really. Sorry,” Bucky crinkles his nose. “I know _that_ must be disappointing. I mean, look at you.” He says, gesturing Steve up and down. “I bet most people take a look at you and think they want to climb you like a tree, but I don’t really feel that sexual attraction to people. I just look at you and think, ‘Man he looks like he gives _really_ good hugs.’”

Steve bursts into laughter then, unable to contain the pure joy that’s bubbling inside him, his heart racing in excitement instead of nervousness now. It feels like he’s been waiting all his life to hear someone say that to him.

“I do give really good hugs, to be fair.” he says, grinning ear to ear. “And since we’re confessing things here, or whatever… I hate knowing that’s the first thing people think of when they see me.”

“Really?” Bucky asks, his eyebrows shooting up.

“Yeah,” Steve nods. “I stopped going to the gym last year, couldn’t find the motivation for it anymore, so I’ve kinda shrunk down a bit, but-”

Bucky snorts sarcastically in response, and it makes Steve laugh. “I have some insecurities, I guess. It’s a long story.” He sighs. “But I feel a little better now knowing you’re not in it for my body.”

Bucky chuckles softly. He takes a sip from his coffee and then turns his attention to Stitch, who’s practically crawling in his lap asking to be pet. “I might be in it for your dogs, though,” he jokes and grins when Steve laughs again.

There’s a brief lull in the conversation before Steve speaks up again. “Do you mind if I ask – how did you figure it out? That you’re asexual, I mean.”

“Well it took me a while,” Bucky sighs. “Literally years. For a while I thought I’d just get into it if I grew up and matured more, but it never happened. I knew I was attracted to boys as well as girls, but I never really felt like having sex with anyone. Then in my second year of college I learned there’s a word for it, and that there are a lot of people that are like me.”

Steve nods in response, not wanting to interrupt in case Bucky isn’t done talking. After another moment of silence, he speaks up again. “I imagine it must’ve been kinda hard. I mean, I know a little about what it’s like, being confused about your sexuality. Up until I was 19 I thought I was straight, until one day I literally went ‘Holy shit I’m actually bi!’” he shrugs, putting up his hands for a more comedic effect, and it makes Bucky breathe out a quiet chuckle.

“Yeah, it’s still kind of hard,” Bucky diverts his gaze towards some customers sat a few tables away from them. “I was really nervous about telling you. I’m okay with it now, but most people I tell don’t really get it. And it doesn’t bother me, because _they’re_ the idiots who can’t grasp such a simple concept but…” he looks back at Steve, a bashful smile on his face. “It matters when it’s people I really like. So I’m glad you’re being understanding about it.”

Steve uncurls his hands from the coffee mug he’s holding and reaches out and takes Bucky’s hand in his, then brings it to his mouth to place a kiss on his knuckles. “Well, like you said, it’s a pretty simple concept.”

“Yeah, it is.” Bucky sighs. “I just hope it doesn’t get in the way if we were to start a relationship.”

Steve frowns. “That’s happened before?”

“Oh yeah,” the brunet huffs an unamused laugh. “My first girlfriend dumped me when I told her I didn’t want to have sex because she thought I didn’t really like her, but I didn’t blame her cause even I thought there was something wrong with me back then. With my last boyfriend, I had told him about it before we started dating, but then after a while he kept throwing hissy fits whenever I said no to sex, so...” He shrugs.

“Did you – did you sleep with him?”

“Yeah. I was happy to do it for him, in the beginning. It’s not like I’m disgusted by sex, I’m just…like I don’t get the urge for it, you know?” Bucky frowns like a thought has just occurred to him. “But I do get a boner every now and again. Which is just confusing, to be honest.”

Steve bites back a smile to now show his amusement at Bucky’s confused expression. “And what did you do then?”

“Carefully practiced scare tactics,” Bucky quips, lips twitching into a playful grin, and glances down at his crotch. “I just stare at it until it goes away.”

Steve bursts into laughter, having to cover his mouth so as not to attract stares from the other customers. “I meant with your ex.” he says a little breathlessly when he quiets down. “Sorry, you probably don’t want to talk about it.”

Bucky shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. Anyway, I realised he was trying to change how I felt about sex, and that meant he was trying to change who I was. So I left him.”

Steve rubs circles on top of Bucky’s hand that he still has a hold of. “I’d say I’m sorry, but he sounds like a real jerk, so screw him.” He shrugs, trying not to show his annoyance too much.

“Steve, didn’t you listen to anything I just said?”

Steve looks up at Bucky with wide eyes, worried he’s said the wrong thing, but then Bucky starts smirking at him.

“Screwing him is precisely the thing I didn’t want to do.” He says, and bursts into giggles when Steve rolls his eyes at his lame joke.

“I want to say…” Steve trails off. He stares at the table for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts before he speaks up. “I won’t do that to you, ask you to do things you don’t want to do. I really like you, and I hope I don’t do anything that will jeopardise things between us.”

Bucky gazes at him with a fond look in his eyes. “Thank you,” He says. “I don’t know why, but I trust you enough to know you’re being honest.”

“You should,” Steve smiles at him in a manner than can only be described as dopey, leaning forward with his arms folded on the table. “I’m always honest.”

“Can I ask you something else then?”

“Sure,”

Bucky looks hesitant for a second before he speaks up. “You sure you won’t miss it?”

“I mean,” Steve sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “I kinda slept around a lot when I was younger. Like, _a lot_.”

Bucky’s eyebrows shoot up in response.

“Hey, don’t judge me, okay?” Steve tries to fight back a smile, struggling to come across as serious when Bucky looks so amused. He looks down at his now-empty mug. “It was meaningless most of the time, and I kinda started hating it after a while. I don't miss that. What I miss is being intimate with someone I love.” he finally looks up at Bucky and swallows hard.

“Well, in my experience, you don’t need sex to be intimate with someone.” Bucky says, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah,” Steve nods.

Bucky gets up and leans over the table to kiss Steve, cupping his cheek as he does. “I have a good feeling about this,” he whispers when they break apart, then returns to his seat.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is the last chapter! thanks everyone for sticking around, for the kudos and all your lovely comments, i appreciate them so much!!! i really enjoyed writing this au, i'd like to write more ficlets in this verse, so if you'd be interested, please let me know! :D
> 
> enjoy! :)

**[3 weeks later]**

****

 

Steve hums along and taps his foot restlessly to whatever random songs start playing on auto play on YouTube, occasionally skipping a track that he doesn’t like. He keeps meaning to focus on his task at hand, but he’s completely distracted thinking about Bucky and their weekend-long date. The excitement has kept him in a good mood all day, but he can’t help but glance at the digital clock in the corner of his laptop screen every so often. Bucky’s already on his way over and the time just won’t seem to pass anymore.

His phone starts ringing and Steve jumps up a little, hastily reaching out to answer the call.

“Which floor did you say you were on?”

“4th floor. Door 4B.”

“I’m coming up now,” Bucky says into the phone. “I’ve missed you. I know I saw you two days ago, but I’ve missed you. Is that weird?”

“No, it’s not weird.” Steve smiles as he shuts his laptop, not really caring that he didn’t make as much progress with the commission as he should have. “I missed you too.” He says as he gets up and practically skips as he goes to open the door. It’s not too pathetic to be waiting for someone by the door, right?

Bucky breaks into a grin as soon as the elevator door opens and he sees Steve leaning against the doorframe of his apartment. “Hey you,” he breathes into the phone before hanging up.

Steve wraps his arms around Bucky and pulls him close as soon as the brunet walks over to him, and Bucky relaxes in his arms, sighing deeply. “You really do give the best hugs.” He whispers, nuzzling his face in the crooking of Steve’s neck, which elicits a slightly ticklish response and makes the blond chuckle.

They break their embrace and Steve steps aside, allowing for Bucky to enter the threshold. “I am 100% ready for a whole weekend of Netflix and junk food and not leaving your apartment.” Bucky says, dropping his backpack on the floor and collapsing on the couch.

Steve can’t help but smile as he lets himself be pulled downwards into Bucky’s open arms and settles so they’re both comfortable. “So you won’t want to go out for a few drinks by any chance? My friends have been asking to meet you.”

“Not tonight, Stevie, I’ve had the shittiest week and all I want is to snuggle you like this until I feel all better.” Bucky whines.

“I meant tomorrow, you cry-baby.” Steve says as reaches up to drop a kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead. “Think about it, ok?”

Lilo and Stich both appear in the room then, running towards the couch as soon as they realise there’s a new person in the apartment. Steve gets up just in time for the two dogs to pounce on Bucky, taking over the space Steve was previously occupying.

“Oof! They’re a lot heavier than they seem.” Bucky says and sits up a little to escape Lilo’s semi-successful attempts at licking his face.

Steve lets out a quiet little laugh and sits on the armrest, watching them.

“Hey you guys, did you miss me?” Bucky coos at the animals.

Lilo reaches up to put her legs across his left shoulder, and Stitch mimics her, putting his legs across Bucky’s right shoulder. Bucky’s eyes widen in surprise. “Are they – Steve, are they hugging me? Oh my god they’re hugging me,” He grins wide and wraps an arm around both of them.

“So, should I just take off, or…?”

“Green is not a good colour on you, Stevie.”

Steve gives him an exaggerated eye roll and gets up, making his way to the kitchen. “You hungry?”

“God, yes,” Bucky says as he appears in the room. “I’m starving. All I’ve eaten today is an apple and half of a crappy sandwich.”

“Hmm, so do you want to cook dinner together or get takeout?”

Bucky comes up to him and wraps his arms around Steve’s middle. “We can cook tomorrow,” he says, placing his head on the blonde’s shoulder. “I need to be fed as soon as possible or I’ll get really grumpy.”

“God forbid,” Steve says sarcastically, and yelps in surprise when Bucky pinches his butt.

They spend the rest of the evening watching their favourite Disney classics and eating pizza straight out of the box while cuddled up on the couch.

“You know if you get a pair of cats you could name them Simba and Nala,” Bucky says while the first _Lion King_ movie is playing, making Steve laugh. “Or Timon and Pumbaa, if you decide to adopt a meerkat and a warthog,”

They watch _The Jungle Book_ afterwards (Bucky suggests Mowlgi and Balloo), then _Cinderella_ (Jac and Gus) and finally choose to watch _Toy Story_.

“You’re not gonna say anything about Woody and Buzz being good pet names?”

Bucky yawns sleepily, snuggling closer to Steve and resting his head on his shoulder. “Inappropriate for pet names,” he mumbles.

Steve frowns then realises Bucky is close to falling asleep. He nudges the man awake as gently as possible, and Bucky’s head snaps up. “You haven’t heard that joke about Woody and Buzz being…adult toys?” he asks.

Steve looks at him for a long moment and then groans as he starts to understand. “Childhood ruined, childhood ruined,” he covers his face with a hand and Bucky starts snickering.

After a long moment of silence, Steve presses his lips to Bucky’s forehead while he runs his fingers through his long hair. “Wanna head to bed?”

“Mm. I’m very comfy here, but thanks for the offer.”

“Come on,” Steve nudges him and Bucky’s forced to sit up. Steve gets to his feet and drags Bucky up with him, then leads him down the short hallway and into his bedroom.

“Do you wanna take a shower before I do?”

Bucky sighs as he strips down to his boxers. “Nah. I showered at home before coming here.” He says as he falls face-first on the bed.

Steve leans over and plants a kiss on Bucky’s shoulder. “I won’t be long then. Don’t fall asleep without me.”

Bucky lets out a quiet murmur in response and Steve makes his way to the bathroom to quickly wash himself. Something inside him is faintly buzzing at the thought of Bucky waiting in bed for him, and Steve thinks that’s what he’s been missing, what he’s been craving for. Falling asleep with someone he loves, relishing in that special kind of intimacy of allowing himself to be at his most vulnerable state and trusting the person he is with to keep him safe in their arms.

Steve stills with his hand on the towel, and blinks in surprise at his own thoughts. He’s only known Bucky for just over a month, and they’ve only been going out for the last three weeks. Being with him has been like living in a fairy tale, and he’s been so wrapped up in their relationship that Steve hadn’t even realised he’d gone and fallen in love with Bucky. Once he becomes aware of his feelings, he finds them a little overwhelming but he allows himself to smile. It makes no sense to worry about finding something you’ve been looking for all your life.

Bucky’s half-asleep when he gets back to the bedroom, but he looks up from under the pillows and gives Steve an appreciative once-over, which makes the blond man blush.

“Thought you said my body doesn’t do anything for you,” he mumbles as he pulls on a clean pair of boxes.

Bucky scoffs at him. “Not in terms of sexual attraction, but I can still find it aesthetically pleasing, can’t I?” he grins at how the shade of red in Steve’s cheeks deepens in response. “Now get in here. I want to cuddle you and sleep.”

A happy, contented sigh escapes from Steve lips as he gets under the covers, and Bucky immediately shifts closer to Steve to rest his head on the man’s chest. “’Night, Stevie,” he mumbles sleepily, turning his head slightly to press his mouth against the bare skin of Steve’s collarbone.

“’Night, Buck,” Steve responds with a blissful smile.                                            

 

~~

 

“I can’t believe you’re making me go out,” Bucky whines as he pulls on a pair of dark coloured jeans, the form-fitting ones that make Steve look at his ass at every chance he gets. “I was looking forward to a weekend of sweatpants or less. Do you hear that? Sweatpants or less, Steve.”

“You’re such a drama queen,” Steve retorts as he tosses him a plain black t-shirt. “Come on, it’ll be fun. It’s Nat’s birthday, which means she’ll be buying us vodka shots. Plus Clint’s got a surprise birthday cake planned and word is Nat has no idea and that’s something I really want to witness.”

Bucky chuckles at that. “You had me at vodka and cake.”

Steve rolls his eyes as he browses through his wardrobe, and eventually picks a navy blue sweater to wear over his light grey shirt. He turns to see Bucky running both hands through his hair, smoothing it down and then nervously gesturing at himself. “How do I look?”

“Amazing as always,” Steve replies and is rewarded with a kiss that stirs butterflies in his stomach.

They get to the bar earlier than the rest of his friends, which is part of Steve’s plan of introducing Bucky to his friends one by one instead of letting them attack him with all sorts of questions all at once. Steve knows Bucky’s actually nervous even though he tried to hide it by pretending to be annoyed at being dragged out of the house. He’s even tried to make it easier by telling Bucky a little bit about everyone – although it ended up being more of a ‘who’s dating who.’

Peggy is already at the bar when they arrive, looking gorgeous in a red dress, sipping a glass of wine from a bottle she’s already ordered and texting someone on her phone.

“Hey Pegs,” Steve greets her and she looks up from her phone.

“Oh you guys made it! I’m so glad.” Peggy says, flashing them both a warm smile. She introduces herself to Bucky and shakes his hand while she says, “It’s really nice to finally meet you, Bucky. Steve’s been going on and on about you for a while now.”

“Really?” Bucky looks at Steve with a cheeky grin as the two of them take a seat opposite her. “What did you tell her about me?”

Steve shrugs, trying to play innocent. “Only the good stuff.”

Peggy laughs then, and the three of them make idle conversation as they start getting through the wine. Angie arrives a little later and gives the three of them a little wave before she points towards the direction of the bathroom and mouths ‘be right back’ at them from across the bar.

Angie returns a while later and flops down next to Peggy, giving her a peck on the cheek. “Sorry I’m late, the queue in there was ridiculously long. Oh thanks for this,” she says as she grabs Peggy’s glass and takes a big sip, then turns her attention to Bucky, giving him a wide smile. “You must be Bucky! I’m Angie,” she extends her hand and Bucky shakes it. “We’ve been hearing a lot about you. One question, what does ‘Bucky’ mean?”

“Um,” Bucky blinks a couple of times. “It’s short for Buchanan, which is my middle name.”

Angie tilts her head to the side like she’s considering it. She opens her mouth to say something but she’s interrupted when Sam and Maria appear at their table, holding hands and exclaiming greetings to the group. They bring a couple of chairs from the nearby table and join them, and Steve introduces them to Bucky and vice versa while Peggy orders more wine and asks the waitress to bring more glasses as well.

“So you’re the guy who has been stealing Steve from us these past few weeks, huh?” Maria says when they’re all introduced.

Bucky ducks his head, smiling and trying not to blush, but Steve laughs and puts his arm around Bucky’s shoulders, in a gesture that’s part protective and part comforting to Bucky.

“Dude, don’t feel bad,” Sam jumps in then. “She’s only saying that to make fun of Steve for ignoring us.” He says, and Steve rolls his eyes at him.

Maria snorts sarcastically. “Yeah, like you weren’t as bad when _we_ first started dating.”

Peggy nods in agreement to Maria’s statement. “It’s true. He practically disappeared off the face of the earth for like a month or so.”

“Yeah, good times,” Steve sighs, feigning melancholy and earns a punch to his shoulder from Sam in response.

“Heey, it’s the birthday girl!” Angie exclaims all of a sudden and they all turn to see Natasha and Clint walking towards them.

“Call me that again and you’re dead to me,” Natasha says in a stern voice, despite the playful smirk on her face.

“Happy birthday!” They all exclaim in response, letting out whistles and happy cheers and Natasha covers her face in her hands, embarrassed as they start attracting stares from the other customers.

Clint pulls up two more chairs and they sit down at the table, which has become way too small to accommodate all eight of them.

“We’re gonna need a bigger table,” Clint huffs in annoyance. “Oh hey, by the way, I’m Clint, this is my girlfriend Natasha,” he gestures to Nat with his head while reaching over the table to shake Bucky’s hand. “Glad you could join us tonight, it’s a special day as you can see.”

“Clint’s exaggerating,” Natasha says before Bucky can get a chance to reply. “It’s no different than any other Saturday night, but if you stick around we can probably get him drunk enough to give us a strip show.”

“Nat!” Clint gasps audibly. “How dare you! Those are only for _you_!”

“Oh, lucky me,” she replies sarcastically and the group bursts into laughter again.

The conversation picks up from there, going from one topic to another and like every year, Natasha buys them a round of vodka shots, and shushes everyone who dares to complain about it.

“It’s _my_ birthday, _I’m_ buying the shots, so I get to choose.”

“Yeah, because you want to kill us all with that poisonous drink.” Sam quips.

Natasha shrugs in response. “If you’re gonna be friends with me, you gotta learn how to drink.” She gives a pointed look to Bucky. “Same goes for you, new guy.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Bucky replies with an amused grin. “But please don’t call me new guy.”

Steve chuckles and leans closer to him. “You know you basically just asked them to call you that, right?” he says and laughs again when Bucky looks vaguely alarmed.

The birthday cake arrives before the vodka shots do and Natasha’s jaw drops open when she sees the three-layer chocolate cake that says ‘Happy Birthday Natasha’ on it with pink frosting, and a circle of 27 candles around the edge of the cake. There’s a digital shutter sound and a flash of light as Peggy captures the look of surprise on the redhead’s face, and they all burst into the Happy Birthday song while Natasha looks mildly embarrassed even though she’s smiling.

After they’ve had cake and a few drinks, Steve looks around him and thinks _I’m so happy_ , then looks at Bucky for a long moment, watching him as he laughs at something Clint said, and thinks, _I’m so, so in love._ Happily buzzing from the alcohol, Steve doesn’t think twice before he puts an arm around Bucky’s shoulder and leans in to whisper, “I love you,” close to the his ear.

Bucky’s head snaps up to look Steve in the eye and a slow smile spreads across his face. He puts his hand on Steve’s neck and pulls him closer to press their mouths together. “I love you, too.” He says, and Steve smiles lazily before he leans in to kiss Bucky again.

Someone wolf-whistles while someone else makes a feigned sound of disgust, and a third person tells them to get a room. Steve laughs against Bucky’s mouth before he rests his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, trying to hide from the embarrassment of his friends’ reactions to the unexpected PDA.

“Give me a break,” he says, waving his hand dismissively. “I’m in love and happy,” he confidently proclaims, and tries to contain his grin when Bucky takes a hold of his hand under the table.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept forgetting to mention: i made [a collage edit on tumblr](http://steveandbucky.tumblr.com/post/130767023459/right-where-we-are-a-steve-bucky-au-steve) to go with this fic (so you can like reblog it if you want :D)


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